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Keynote Speech: Dr. Azeema Adam

Evolution of Major Financial Centers and Offshore Finance Centers: Gavin Ralston

Evolution of Islamic financial markets: Dr. Hussein Hassan

Sourcing Finance for Projects Locally and Internationally: Private sector Experience:  Riluwan Shareef

Dr Azeema Adam

Governor

Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA)

Dr. Azeema Adam is the Governor of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA). She joined the MMA in 1991 and since then, has been working in the area of macroeconomic research for policymaking.  She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Canberra, Australia, MSc in International Development and Finance from the University of Leicester, UK, and PhD in Economics from the University of Canberra, Australia. Her PhD research was on the area of exchange rate issues in the Maldives. Her research interests include exchange rate, public finance and tourism economics.

Gavin Ralston

Global Head of Official Institutions

Schroders

Gavin Ralston is Head of Official Institutions at Schroders, based in London. He has spent his entire career at Schroders, having joined the firm in 1980. He worked first as an equity research analyst then as a portfolio manager, principally working with large institutional clients in the US and Canada. He took responsibility for the institutional side of Schroders’ business in Europe in 2000, became overall head of Europe and Middle East in 2003 and was appointed Head of Global Financial Institutions Group in 2006. He is a member of the Global Distribution Executive.  In October 2008, he became Global Head of Product, with responsibility for Schroders’ product range worldwide. In September 2012, he became Head of Official Institutions and is responsible for Schroders’ global relationships with central banks, national pension funds and sovereign wealth funds. He has an MA in classics from Oxford University and is an associate member of the UK Society of Investment Professionals. He is a Lay Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Dr. Hussein Hassan

Global Head of Islamic Finance

J.P. Morgan

Dr. Hussein Hassan is the Global head of the J.P. Morgan’s Islamic Finance practice. Widely acknowledged as one of the most experienced and prominent Islamic banking experts, he leads the firm’s effort to strengthen the offering across different lines of business and regions.  He joined from UBS where he was most recently Global Head of Islamic Structuring and head of MENA structuring. Before joining the banking industry in 2005 he was an academic, he taught law at Mansfield College, Oxford University and was a fellow in Islamic law at the Oxford Centre for Islamic studies.

Mohamed Saeed

Minister of Economic Development

Mohamed Saeed holds cabinet portfolio for Economic Development in the Government of Maldives. Prior to his appointment to the cabinet in 2013, he held various key positions including General Manager in Sun Island Resort & Spa. He has also served as a Board Director of Maldives Tourism Development Corporation Plc. He is an advocate of investment policy reform and economic diversification. He applies economics statecraft as a useful means of promoting economic welfare in the country. With over 16 years of experience in the Tourism industry, he has also contributed to academia as the Dean of Faculty of Hospitality Management and Tourism Studies in Villa College, the first private college in Maldives. He is a graduate from University of Birmingham, United Kingdom and International School of Tourism Science, Rome, where he specialized in the area Tourism and Hospitality Management.

Riluwan Shareef

Managing Director Villa Air Pvt. Ltd

Riluwan Shareef is the Managing Director of Villa Air Pvt. Ltd.  He is also the Chairman and non-executive Director of Dhiraagu PLC. Before venturing into the private sector, he served the Government for over twenty years, lastly between 2001 and 2008 serving as State Minister of Ministry of Finance and Treasury.  During his tenure at the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, he was also the Alternate Governor of the Maldives to the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Between 1993 and 1996 he served as Deputy Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) in Thailand. He holds a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering Degree from the University of Auckland, New Zealand and Master of Business Administration in International Business from The RMIT University of Melbourne Australia.

Mohamed Jaleel

Senior Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Treasury

Mohamed Jaleel is currently serving as the Senior Advisor to the Minister of Finance and Treasury. He began his public service career in 1978 in the Ministry of Finance, Maldives. He later served as the Head of Economic Research, Maldives Monetary Authority until being appointed as the Minister of State for Finance and Treasury in 2000. Subsequently, until 2008 he served as Minister of Economic Development and Trade. He has also been involved in various international organizations, including the Board of Governors of the International Monetary Fund and the Asian Development Bank for several years. He spearheaded several reform and development initiatives - including the reform of public finance accounting and accountability, governance of the banking, financial and corporate sectors, privatization and the development of the capital market in Maldives.  He holds a Master of Arts in International Economics and Post Graduate Diploma in Economics, from the University of Essex, UK.

Ibrahim Athif Shakoor

Managing Director

Acuity Quest Pvt. Ltd

Ibrahim Athif Shakoor is the Managing Director of Acuity Quest Pvt. Ltd. He is also a Director of the Board of Capital Market Development Authority. During his career, he has served at senior and CEO level positions of some of the biggest and most diversified corporate entities of the Maldives including Allied Insurance Company, the State Trading Organization Plc., Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company Ltd and Maldives Transport and Contracting Company.  In a career spanning over 20 years, he has held number of board positions and successfully managed companies across various industries. Most recently he held the position of the Chairman of Dhiraagu PLC. He is also involved in academia and has been a visiting lecturer at the Faculty of Management and Computing of the Maldivian National University and at Villa College lecturing on Business Entrepreneurship, Maldivian Business Environment and Financial Management. He was also engaged in the setup of the first Rotary Club in the Maldives; a voluntary service organization that is more than 100 years old with 1.2 million members world-wide. He has a BA in Economics and Masters Degree from Monash University, Australia.